Wednesday, 2 December 2009

Photogs Slang

I thought I'd lighten the mood here on The Travel Photographer by introducing you to some of the more colorful slang used by photographers and photojournalists (according to a lighthearted post on Lightstalkers).

So learn the slang, get yourself a pre-used keffeiyeh or krama, a third-hand Leica M7 (it doesn't have to work) and join the group! You'll be welcomed with open arms.

Photog: short for photographerShooter: slang for a photojournalist.Snapper: rather derogatory term for amateurs.Chimping: shooting a digital image, looking at it in the LCD, shooting again, looking... Machine Gunner: A South African term for a photographer who always shoots at 6 fps and above.Hail Mary: Photographing while holding the camera above one's head without looking through the viewfinder.Big-Footing: Describes when a famous or staff photographer arrives at a location which has become newsworthy, and thereby pushing the freelancer who has been covering it aside.Bang Bang: war or conflict, catastrophe, etc. Goat Fuck: My very favorite expression! When a dozen photographers all elbow each other to photograph one person weeping at a funeral, or holding her dead child, or even (in the case of travel photographers) a preening monk-dancer holding a wooden penis at a Bhutan festival. A similar expression is “cluster fuck".Fuck Job: Any scene overly set-up, arranged, posed, or directed. Also applicable to many top-end travel photographers, by the way.Spec: To work without guarantee of pay. We see a lot of those recently.Guarantee: Some pay but not an assignment.

About The Travel Photographer

Based in New York City, I am a freelance photographer specializing in documenting endangered cultures
and traditional life ways of Asia, Latin America and Africa. My images, articles and photo features were published in various magazines, and my travel photographs were featured by some of the largest adventure travel companies in the United States and Great Britain, as well as in multinational corporations' art collections. My photographs have been acquired by a range of eclectic buyers; from the Standard Chartered’ Bank's permanent art collection to Spike TV.

I also organize and lead photo expeditions and workshops for photographers who share my enthusiasm for unusual cultures,
uncommon locations and lesser known festivals. I'm a faculty member at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop, and give workshops at the Travel Photographer Society (Kuala Lumpur).